London swimmer Nathan Lethbridge setting college records in the United States

When the Union (Ky.) College Winter Invitational home meet rolled around in December, Nathan Lethbridge was just wrapping his head around swimming and studying at a small south-of-the-border school nearly a nine-hour drive from home.

“I thought everyone’s working so hard here and I wasn’t seeded very well in that (100-metre butterfly) event,” the 20-year-old freshman from London recalled by phone this week, “so I said, ‘Just go for it. What have you got to lose?’”

He churned to the 136-year-old college’s school best 49.89-second 100 (yard) fly and roared to a Stivers Aquatic Center record 20.80 in the 50 (yard) freestyle. He won 14-of-16 individual events he competed in, plus three relay victories, over a four-week span, and was named the National Alliance of Intercollegiate Athletics male swimmer of the month through mid-January.

“It (the record) did surprise me,” the Saunders grad and London Aquatic Club member said. “It feels pretty good to get my name out there and let people know I’m a contender. It’s the same with our school Union itself. We’re small, but we’re a competitive team (ranked seventh in the NAIA) and I hope people know that (now).

“There are a lot of great swim programs around and we’re trying to become one of them.”

Not long ago, Lethbridge posted his swimming profile through a recruitment website. He was contacted by Union coach Rafael Forte – and after various email exchanges and a good on-line look at the school set in tiny Barbourville, Ky., — the Canadian kid was sold.

Now, he’s one of the big Bulldogs on the block.

“I’m pretty happy with my progress,” the 6-foot free and fly specialist said. “It’s a big jump from Canada and it took a few weeks to get accustomed down here.”

Since that winter meet, he and Forte bumped up his immediate goals.

“He’s expecting me to come top three at nationals in a few of my events (during the first week of March at Oklahoma City),” the education/teaching student said, “and possibly win one of my events at conference.”

Lethbridge has a feel for what it will take to get there. He wants to crack 19.7 seconds in the 50 free, 44 flat in the 100 and whittle down that 100 fly mark to 47 flat.

“If I get those times, it’d be top three contending,” he said. “Our team, we want to be top five in conference heading to nationals. If we are top three, we would be ecstatic, but it takes a lot of work.”

That heavy lifting, Lethbridge and Co. do not fear.

He’s up at 5 a.m. for 5:30 pool workouts, pumps iron from 7-8 a.m., attends classes all day, then jumps back in the water from 3:30-6 p.m.

“It’s been pretty demanding,” he said. “The coaches expect personal bests every meet. A lot of our dual meets have been, in my coach’s words, practice racing to tweak the little things so when we get to conference and nationals, we’ll be fully tapered and, hopefully, win.”

Lethbridge gravitated to the pool in Grade 9 when, unsure if he would made Saunders’ basketball team, found out the Sabres had a swim squad, too.

“My first year, I came sixth at OFSAA and was pretty excited,” he said. “The next year, I joined LAC and loved it. There were so many talented swimmers and we pushed each other. After nationals here, we have six weeks left of school and I’m going to train four, five times a week on my own, create some sprint workouts, then come home and prepare (for summer nationals).”

He went to the Commonwealth Games trials in Victoria, B.C.. last year. Now, he has his eyes on making ‘A’ finals.

It feels like a long time since he watched local Olympians Joe Bartoch and Rich Hortness put in their work at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.

“That was extremely intimidating back then,” Lethbridge said. “You walk out on the deck and don’t know what to do. You’re almost scared to get in the water with them.”

That might be the case for an unknown kid – but not the Bulldog busy putting his name on the swimming map.

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